Clothes-stick



PATENTED SEPT. 20, 1904.

J. F. STOCKING.

CLOTHES STICK.

APPLICATION FILED SEPT. s, 1903.

H0 MODEL.

UNITED STATES Patented September 20, 1904;

PATENT EETcE.

CLOTHES-STICK.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 770,333, dated September 20, 1904.

Application filed September 8, 1903. Serial No. 172,219. (No model.)

T0 at whom, it may concern:

Be it known that LJAMES FRANK STOCKING, a citizen of the United States, residing at Montvale, in the county of Bergen and State of New Jersey, have invented a new and useful Clothes-Stick, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to improvements in clothes-sticks.

The clothes stick is an instrument used largely in domestic laundry-work for the purpose of handling clothes. My clothes-stick is an improvement thereon.

The invention is set forth in the claim.

I attain the objects of my invention by the means illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which- Figure 1 is a view showing the clothes-stick in position for engaging, lifting, and wringing wet clothes. Fig. 2 is a plan view. Fig. 3 is a longitudinal sectional view. Fig. 4 is a plan View showing a modified construction, and Fig. 5 is a longitudinal sectional view of the same.

Similar letters refer to similar parts throughout the several views.

My clothes-stick has a solid handle end and a split or bifurcated and spread end.

H is the handle portion of the stick, and S is the split or bifurcated and spread portion, consisting of the parts S and S C is a chock-block that holds the two spread parts or portions S S apart and is held in place by a pin, rod, or screw R, preferably consisting of a short piece cut from a lead rod or lead wire, that being preferred because of its not being injurious to wet clothing, but may consist of a wooden pin or pin of any other suitable material. This rod or pin is driven through the two parts S and S and centrally through the chock block C and may be so shaped and headed as to hold and prevent further spreading of the parts S S as well as to hold the chock-block and the bifurcated parts more rigidly together. The kerf or slit A terminates in the transversely bored or formed channel 0, which may be bored after the slit or kerf is cut or before at willand preparatory to spreading. The object of the hole or channel is to prevent the further splitting of the handle H and the extension of the slit or kerf A during manufacture, which would be likely to occur if the inner end of the kerf were left in the form given it or left by the saw in cutting. I do not use the channel or round hole 0 to give elasticity to the parts or arms S S but do use it to facilitate and cheapen the cost of manufacture and to avoid the necessity of using a band to prevent splitting. I may, however,use a band at will to strengthen the stick after manufacture andfor additional functions to those of the usual clothes-stick, as shown and stated below. My parts or arms S are neither elastic nor movable, but are as inelastic as possible and stationary, and preferably rigidly so. Furthermore, I do not use a wedge driven into the crotch of the split or kerf A to separate or spread the arms S S because I consider it improper and dangerous, but do use only the round hole 0 during the spreading, done in any usual or suitable way and to prevent splitting, and I use a chock-block (J, preferably located back or out of the crotch, instead of a wedge located in it. Thereby I further avoid the necessary use of a band to prevent the extension of the kerf and give increased strength to the arms S S and by so doingI further avoid the wastage, increased cost, and loss of spoiled sticks or blanks in the processes of manufacture and am further able to use cheaper woods as material for my sticks, which must be made of low cost to compete with the shortened broom-sticks now largely in use as clothes-sticks. Not necessarily using a metal band to strengthen the crotch I may avoid not only its cost, but also all injury to clothing by rust, by cutting, or by severe wear likely to occur where there are exposed metallic edges or surfaces on the clothes-stick.

The foregoing description sets forth the preferable and cheaper method of constructing the clothes-stick, which, while it must be eflicient to do its work, must be cheap in order to be universally accepted as a substitute for the ordinary broom-handle clothesstick in common use. Amore expensive and perhaps a stronger construction is shown in Figs. & and 5, in which the bands '13 and B,

one or both, may be used to give strength to the parts affected and durability to the instrument.

The stick is intended for use in connection with the washing of clothing, the handling of the same in boilers and to and from boilers and wash-tubs. and more or less incidentally in helping to handle clothing in water, including a preliminary or partial twisting and wringing. For these purposes and in practical use the jaws or spread ends or divided arms of the instrument are pressed upon or into the mass of clothing and at the same time twisted, so as to obtain ahold upon the clothing sufficient for any and all manipulating purposes. The letting go of the clothes is effected either by untwisting, and thereby releasing the hold of the instrument on the clothing, or by holding the stick in a more or less perpendicular position, so as to cause disengagement of the jaws of the stick or the release of the clothing.

The construction and method of use shown and described give my clothes-stick a very certain, strong, and superior hold, easily and promptly effected and as easily and quickly released by a mere turn of the wrist.

The chock-block C instead of being made round externally, as shown, may be made rectangular in shape and of the full width of the kerf or slit.

I prefer to use a chock-block to keep separate the two parts positively and to give the instrument greater strength; but the chockblock may be omitted without avoiding my invention, the two or bifurcated parts being spread and set in substantially the positions and relations shown in the drawings. In this case or in any case and at any part of the inner end of the slit a band may be used for the purpose of strengthening the part.

I do not limit my invention to strictly laundry uses. It may be used for other somewhat kindred purposes.

An additional feature of my invention consists in corrugating or grooving the central portion of the surface of the stick longitudinally, as shown at L, and annularly at the ends, as shown at L L. The end corrugations give the stick a better holding-surface for the hands, and the longitudinal central corrugations give it superior qualities as a rubbing instrument capable of dealing effectually with especially-soiled spots in clothing that require extra rubbing, thereby relieving the hands of much of the severe friction of washing in the usual manner.

When a stationary washboard is used, the clothing is or may be rubbed on and over the corrugated surface of the washboard. When my corrugated clothes-stick is used for rubbing purposes, it is the corrugated instrument that moves over the surface of cloth being dealt with, which cloth will or may rest in a stationary positionon the washboard or other surface, so that the laundress can see her work and direct or limit her labors accordingly, and the annular corrugations will tend to check the flow of water down along the outer surface of the stick.

I claim as my invention- A clothes-stick having divided arms at the end of the stick that are spread apart, a chockblock secured in the space between the divided arms at a point between the inner and outer ends of the same, and a transverse channel formed at the inner end ofthe same, as

set forth.

JAMES FRANK STOCKING. Witnesses:

EDWARD S. BERRALL, JAMns A. SKILToN. 

